by Fields, MJ
“Keep going,” she panted.
“Come over here.” I pulled her over to her couch and with one arm stretched along the back of it, I cradled her against me.
She complied and I rewarded her with kisses, but this time I dropped them across her cheek, down her neck, and along her shoulder. “Ryan, keep going, god, please, keep going.”
I did as requested and kept going, sliding one hand up under her shirt. I cupped one breast, and that single touch sent shivers over her body. I kneaded her breast, enjoying the feel of the firmness, squeezing her nipple, and when she groaned it only fueled me on, intensified my desire. I lifted her shirt and slid the edge of her bra down, then lowered my mouth to her breast and sucked while moving one hand to her jeans. My fingers wrapped through her belt loops and I tugged, my brain was shouting for me to hurry the hell up but at the same time, I didn’t want to break this trance. When I finally moved, I slid my fingers along the top of her waistband and then slipped in a finger. To my immense pleasure, I discovered that her panties were already soaked.
My lips found hers again, my tongue sliding into her mouth as my fingers emulated the movement. She was on the edge, the muscles in her stomach were tightening as I changed my rhythm. I pressed my index finger upward and my thumb pressed on her clit. She bucked upward. I wasn’t sure whether it was to give me better access or if it was her non-verbal way of asking for more. I was going with both.
I wanted to smile because I could tell that she was slightly flustered. She kept moving her hands, not sure where to put them. The couch was only so wide, and she was wild, as she tried to hold on to her last grip of sanity. Finally, she wrapped her fingers around my forearm like I was her safety rope. That single gesture made me feel stronger and more powerful. It gave me confidence.
“Sadie, you’re so beautiful.”
She tilted her head back and locked her eyes on me as her body released in waves. Pulsing, tightening against my fingers that were still inside her, she gasped for air as she fought to regain control from the crashing orgasm.
“Was it good?” I winked.
“Yes, but what about . . .”
I placed a kiss on her lips. “Next time.” I literally had to rip those words from my throat because my mind was saying now-now-now.
“Next time?”
“Yes. We have plenty of time.”
Fourteen
Ryan
I cringed when I pressed the garage door opener because the thing was louder than I remember it being. Why was it that, when you were trying to be quiet, it seemed as if everything was ten times louder?
Trying not to make a sound, I wound through the kitchen and into the living room. The second my foot hit the carpet, the reading lamp popped on.
“Shit.” I jerked in reflex.
“My, my, doesn’t this bring back the memories? Me staying up, you sneaking in, me catching you.” My mother had a smirk on her face.
I rolled my eyes.
“Did you have a good evening?”
“Yes. You do know that I’m thirty-four and you don’t need to wait up for me, right?”
“You do know that you’ll always be my baby, right? I love you, Ryan.”
“Love you, too, Mom. Thanks for watching Callie. You can go home now.”
“I’m so glad that you went out. You look happy.”
“Me, too. Love you. I’ll turn the lights on and watch you until you get to your door.” I moved to the back door and opened it. Okay, I was being totally rude and throwing my mom out of my house, but I wasn’t ready to analyze what was going on with Sadie quite yet.
“All of this is over that deputy, huh?”
“Yeah. Good night, Mom.”
“Callie thinks the world of her. I’d like to meet her sometime.”
“You will. Good night, Mom.”
“Good night.”
Once I was settled in bed, I couldn’t bring myself to put down my phone.
Me: I liked spending the evening with you.
Sadie: I really like spending time with you, too. Thanks for coming over.
Me: What do you think about coming to my house tomorrow?
Sadie: For dinner?
Me: Or for the day.
Sadie: What do you have planned?
Me: I have to take Callie shopping, but I figured we could watch a movie here. You could bring Wasabi if you would like.
Sadie: I thought you said Callie could never meet him.
Me: I changed my mind.
Sadie: Okay. What time?
Me: Now?
Sadie: Ha ha, really?
Me: Any time. We can pick you up on our way to the mall if you want to tag along or you can meet us here. If that’s too much, you can come over later.
Sadie: . . .
I worried for a second that maybe I’d come across as too needy because the three dots blinked for a long time.
Me: You still there?
Sadie: Yes.
Me: If you’re busy, I understand. I don’t want to push you into anything. I understand that a man with a child is a lot.
Sadie: No, that isn’t it.
Me: Okay, then is there something that I can help you with? You got quiet there for a second.
Sadie: I was trying to figure out what was best for Wasabi if I was going to bring him over to your house. If you picked me up, then he would need to stay here so we could go shopping.
Me: What if we pick you up and swing back by your place and get him after shopping? Then I’ll take you back home later.
Sadie: Sounds good. Just text me when you’re on your way.
Me: Will do. Good night.
Sadie: Night.
* * *
“Pick out some pretty clothes, Callie.”
“You aren’t coming, Nana?”
“Nope, you and Daddy are having a fun day. I think that he has a surprise for you.”
“He does?” Callie turned to me, her eyes wide. “What?”
“The quicker you get in the car, the faster you’ll find out.”
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her run so fast.” My mom laughed.
“Don’t worry about cooking dinner, we are going to pick up Chinese on the way home. I will bring you some Moo Goo Gai Pan.”
I headed out and checked to make sure that Callie was in her booster seat.
Callie sang “Welcome to the Jungle” as I drove. Maybe it made me a horrid father for letting her listen to it, but nothing beat classic rock. Come on, Guns N’ Roses was epic.
“Where are we going, Daddy? Nana doesn’t shop here.” Callie turned to look out the window as I turned onto a side street that headed to Sadie’s.
“We’re picking up a friend to go shopping with us.”
“Who?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, it’s a surprise.” I’d already let Sadie know that we were on our way. God forbid Callie see Wasabi. If she did, we’d never get out of there. When I pulled into Sadie’s driveway, the curtain moved, and I smiled. She’d seen us. Her front door opened and she walked out, looking sexy as fuck in jean shorts, work boots, and a sheriff’s department T-shirt.
“Sadie. Sadie is coming with us?”
“Callie, stop screaming.”
I got out and ran around to open her door for her, and when she got close, I kissed her quickly. “Good morning.”
“Hi to you, too.” She slid in and turned almost completely around so she could talk to my daughter. “So, I’ve thought about this, Callie.”
“What did you think about?”
“Are you wanting clothes that are hip and cool like all the cool girls wear or do you want clothes that are Callie, like tough?”
“I want Callie clothes.”
Callie was so different around Sadie, and it had a grin stretching wide across my lips. Sadie was good for us. “Okay, where to?”
Sadie leaned over and entered an address into my GPS. “We are going to tourist central, but we are going to make Callie feel like h
erself,” Sadie said, settling into her seat.
“Can I get boots like yours?”
“I was hoping you would say that, that’s why I wore them. I also have them in black, so they look like biker boots.”
“Daddy, I want biker boots.”
“Tell me where we’re going.” I smiled and winked at Sadie. Seeing Callie like this, I’d do anything.
Thirty minutes later, the three of us were walking into Al’s Army Supply. Something about it felt very familiar, but I’d never been in this store, so there was no reason for it to. Callie was walking between us, one hand in mine and one in Sadie’s. It was full of tactical gear, hunting, and, well . . . just about everything for a militia.
“Sadie, what brings you in today?” a young man who looked like he belonged on Duck Dynasty said from his spot behind a gun counter.
“Hey, Biff.”
Biff? I imagined someone named Biff would live in the Hamptons and wear shorts with whales. “This is Callie, she needs some cool clothes and shoes.”
“Like Sadie’s.”
“Ahh, I know just what you’re looking for.” Biff came out from behind the counter and escorted us over to a wall of shoes. “Here are the kids’ sizes. If you can’t find what you need, I may have some more in back. You know what size you wear?”
“Twelve,” Callie answered, saving me from looking like an inattentive father. I made a mental promise to start paying more attention.
“How about these?” Sadie held up a pair of brown boots.
“I’m not sure.”
“These?” Biff asked. Callie shook her head.
I joined in and rummaged through boots and found a black pair. “These?”
“I have that exact same pair,” Sadie said.
“I want those.” Callie reached for them.
I locked eyes with Sadie and winked. “I think these are the closest you’re going to get to my brown boots. What do you think?”
“Okay.”
Callie tried them on, and we ended up buying a size thirteen to be safe before heading over to the clothes. “We can get a few things here, but then we should move to the mall. Remember, you don’t want to be me or anyone else. So mix and match, we’ll go to a few stores,” Sadie informed her while I stood back and snapped photos, sending the best ones to my mom.
While Callie tried on clothes, Sadie went over and spoke to Biff, and when she returned, she had a big smile on her face. “What are you so happy about?”
“Al’s has a contract with Orange County, so they have our logo. He’s making her two T-shirts with our logo on them, one in dark green and one in white, which is the motors color. Anyone can buy them, they just never make kid sizes.”
I cupped her face. “Thank you, you are making such a difference for Callie.” I leaned in and kissed her. “And me.”
The dressing room door opened, and Callie stood there in pink camouflage cargo pants. “You look awesome. What do you think?” Sadie knelt in front of Callie.
“I like them. Can I get these?” She glanced up at me, and I nodded.
“Why don’t we also get them in plain black?”
“Are two pairs of pants enough?” I asked.
“We will do pants and then a few pair of shorts from here and then head over to another store.”
“I need some shirts,” Callie said.
“I’m on it.” Sadie gave a thumbs-up.
We walked out of Al’s with several bags of clothes and shoes, and Callie was trying to change in the car. “Can I put my sheriff shirt on now, like Sadie is wearing?” Sadie waited for me to answer.
“Yes.” My heart stopped when Sadie unfastened her seat belt and then climbed into the back. I glanced up in the rearview mirror, saw that no one was behind me, and pressed hard on the brakes, not quite slamming them, then turned into the first parking lot I found and pulled to a stop. “Please get your seat belt on, now.” Yes, that was panic in my voice.
“I am, I just wanted to get back here and help her.”
“We could have done that once we were parked.” Each word was accentuated.
“I’m fine, Ryan. But I promise not to do it again.” I couldn’t answer her, so I just nodded, letting her know that I heard.
I regained my composure and then pulled back onto the street once Sadie was fastened. “Where to now?”
“Tanger Outlets.”
“Where?” I asked again, having no clue where she was talking about.
“The outlets on International Drive.”
“Oh, hell no. Can’t I just pay full price and avoid that mayhem?”
“Nope, there are stores there that we can’t find anywhere else. Sorry, buddy.”
“Yeah. Sorry, Daddy, we have to go to the . . .”
I laughed when I heard Sadie whisper, “Outlets.”
“Outlets.”
“Two beautiful women against one man, not fair.” Callie giggled. I locked eyes with Sadie in the rearview mirror.
She mouthed, I’m sorry. But she didn’t get it, there was nothing to be sorry about. As much as I pretended to hate the mayhem—okay that wasn’t pretend, I really did hate it—I would venture out in it ten times to see Callie like this and see her respond and interact with someone like she was.
When Sadie led us to the next store, I almost thought it was a joke. “Bass Pro, are you serious?”
“Trust me.” Sadie patted my arm. Callie giggled.
Leaning close, I whispered, “Sorry about freaking out in the car, but I get nervous when people aren’t secure in vehicles. I’ll explain later.”
“I’m a deputy, I understand and truthfully, I know better. I was just excited for Callie, you weren’t going fast and no one was around us. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything like that again.”
“It’s more than that, it’s . . .” I squeezed her hand as I said it.
“Callie’s mom?”
“Yeah.”
“There, now I know. We don’t have to discuss more unless you want to.” Sadie squeezed my hand in return.
God, she made this easy.
Bass Pro ended up having a lot for Callie, and we picked up a full stock of jeans, denim shorts, and basic shirts. Sadie took Callie over to a rack where bandanas and belts hung. “We are going to get a few accessories, okay?”
I smiled as Callie took in every word as if it were gospel. By the time we made it over and through Justice, Callie had an entire new wardrobe and I was exhausted.
When we turned on Sadie’s road, Callie freaked. “No, Sadie, don’t go. Not yet.”
“Callie, I’m just running inside to get something real quick.”
“You promise?” My daughter’s tantrum ended as swiftly as it started, and she blinked wide eyes at Sadie.
“I promise. I’m coming right back out and then I’m coming over to your house for a while.”
“What are you getting?”
“A surprise, you’ll like it.”
“Okay, but hurry. I’ll count.”
Once I stopped, Sadie got out and ran in. “Callie girl, you like having Sadie hang out with us, don’t you?”
Callie nodded, not stopping her counting. Thankfully, Sadie must have packed a bag for Wasabi earlier, because she came out carrying two bags: one was plastic and the other a pet carrier. Since she had full hands, I slid from the car and opened the back door for her. “Where do you want him?”
“This bag buckles in to a seat belt, but let me get him out so Callie can see him before we strap him in.” She unzipped the carrier, and Wasabi lunged for her.
Callie screamed.
“This is Wasabi, he’s my dog. He’s going to come over to your house and play today, is that okay?” Sadie handed him to Callie, and the dog began washing her face as she giggled like a madwoman.
“Oh, Sadie, I love him. He’s so little, he’s a baby.”
“He isn’t a baby. In fact, he’s older than you are.”
“He is?”
“Yep, he’s just tiny.”<
br />
“Can I hold him until we get home?”
“No, he has to get into the seat belt just like you. We want him safe, don’t we?”
Fifteen
Sadie
Ryan released his hold on my hand as we pulled in front of a sprawling house. I was very familiar with this area and had seen many of the homes, but it was still shocking to envision someone living here, especially when I had a duplex and had grown up in a small Florida cracker box house with two bedrooms. I was way out of my league. Shit, that’s when it hit me . . . Wasabi.
“Sadie, are you okay?” I nodded. “You look freaked out, what’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking about Wasabi.”
“What about him?”
“Your house, what if he has an accident?” I rubbed my hands on my shorts, trying to wipe off the sweat.
“Does he usually have accidents in the house?” Ryan asked, somewhat puzzled.
“No, not since he was a puppy.”
“Then why are you worried?”
“I don’t know, I just am.”
“You’re crazy, now come on, food is getting cold.” Ryan was out and opening the back seat to unfasten Wasabi while Callie was busy grabbing her bags.
We walked in and the first thing that seemed to catch my eye were photos along the wall. I wanted to look at them but, at the same time, I didn’t want to come across as though I was gawking. My curiosity got the best of me and I looked. Holy hell, she was beautiful, I felt sorry for whomever Ryan fell for next, because there was no way she could compete with that. The woman looked angelic. She was a combination of Martha Stewart, Mother Theresa, and Miss America all rolled up into one.
“That’s my angel-mommy.” Callie’s soft words seemed to carry. Glancing up, I noticed that she was standing in the living room watching me.